As autumn approaches and mornings become darker, many of us spend less time in daylight.

That can affect more than our vitamin D levels. Light is one of the main signals used by the body’s internal clock, helping it distinguish between daytime and night-time.

A 2026 European study called ENLIGHTENme explored whether daytime light exposure was linked to sleep and daily activity in older adults.[1] The findings are interesting—but the distinction between natural daylight and bright-light lamps is important.

What did the researchers study?

The research had two separate parts.

First, 202 older adults wore a wrist activity tracker and a pendant light sensor for two weeks.

These recorded how active participants were, how their rest and activity were spread across the day, and how much light they encountered naturally.

Participants also completed standard questionnaires, including a measure of sleep quality.

No bright-light lamp was involved during this initial monitoring period.

Afterwards, 191 participants continued into a 12-week randomised study. Of these, 98 were given a bright indoor lamp to use at home, while 93 continued with their usual routines.

What did the natural-light monitoring show?

During the initial two weeks, participants who encountered more light during the day tended to be more physically active. They also had longer, less interrupted periods of wakefulness.

Those in the highest-light group had around three times the odds of recording sleep quality in the healthier range compared with those in the lowest-light group.

However, this part of the research was observational. It found a connection between light exposure and healthier daily patterns, but it cannot prove that additional light directly caused the differences.

People who spend more time outdoors may also walk more, socialise more or follow more regular routines. These factors could contribute to better sleep and more consistent daily activity.

Did the bright-light lamps help?

When researchers compared everyone given a lamp with the no-lamp group, they found no clear overall improvement in sleep or activity.

One possible reason was inconsistent use, as only 52 of the 98 people given a lamp—about 53%—reported using it every day.

The researchers then looked at timing among a smaller group whose lamp use could be analysed. They divided them according to whether they usually switched on the lamp before or after approximately 10:34am.

Earlier lamp use was linked to a steadier, less disrupted daily pattern of rest and activity.

At first, the earlier users also appeared to be more active during the day. However, some people naturally prefer earlier schedules and may already be more active in the morning.

Once the researchers allowed for this difference, the apparent increase in activity was no longer clear—but the link with a steadier daily rhythm remained.

Importantly, 10:34am was simply the midpoint used to divide the participants into earlier and later users. It was not a recommended deadline.

The results suggest that the timing of bright light may matter, but they do not prove that a lamp improves sleep or establish an exact time at which it should be used.

Why might morning light be useful?

Light entering the eyes sends timing information to the brain’s internal clock. Brighter light earlier in the day can reinforce the signal that daytime has begun, helping the body organise alertness, activity and sleep across the day.

As we get older, we may spend less time outdoors, while changes to the eyes can reduce the amount of light reaching the system that regulates the body clock. Darker autumn and winter mornings can weaken that daytime signal further.

The ENLIGHTENme findings support the idea that regular daytime light—particularly earlier in the day—may help maintain a steadier daily rhythm. They do not show that light alone can treat insomnia or guarantee better sleep.

Simple ways to get more morning light

Natural daylight is a good place to start:

• Open your curtains or blinds soon after waking.

• Sit near a bright window while eating breakfast.

• Step outside during the morning, even if the sky is cloudy.

• Combine daylight with a short walk if your mobility and the weather allow.

• Try to keep your waking time reasonably consistent throughout the week.

Outdoor light is normally much brighter than ordinary indoor lighting, including on an overcast day.

The bottom line

People who naturally encountered more daytime light tended to be more active, have longer periods of uninterrupted wakefulness and report better sleep quality.

Because this was observational, it cannot prove that light alone caused those benefits.

Providing a bright-light lamp did not improve outcomes across the intervention group as a whole. However, among regular users included in the timing analysis, using the lamp earlier was associated with a steadier daily pattern of rest and activity.

The findings are encouraging, but they do not establish that extra light will improve everyone’s sleep. Getting outside earlier in the day is a simple, low-cost habit that may help reinforce your body clock as daylight becomes scarcer.